Dying Resistance: Freedom's Price
by Skyler-Kaiba
Summary: Takes place during Sonic Forces, but takes an alternate path from the game itself. What would happen if Sonic died en route to Freedom HQ, due to the torture he suffered for six months on board the Death Egg? Also, this has a lot of Sonaze material. Rated T for violence and gore, as well as a few passing sexual references, but nowhere near enough of them for an M rating.
1. Chapter 1 Death of a Legend

A/N: So, this fanfic was inspired by a combination of things. First off, Sonic's torture aboard the Death Egg in Sonic Forces. Second thing was an image done by Nictrain123 on deviantArt of Sonic being beaten to a bloody pulp by Metal Sonic. PM me and I'll link you to the image. I don't like it very much cause I've never seen Sonic look so….vulnerable? I guess is the word I'm looking for, I don't know. Anyways...on with the story. I guess you could also call it an AU since it takes a look at what would happen if Sonic had died on his way back to Freedom HQ from the Death Egg. If enough people give this a read and review, I may do more chapters, but I'm not sure. It's got Sonaze content too, as the character I have in mind to use for Forces when I get a Switch is a Sonaze fanchild. Also look for a demo reel soon, involving Forces, that involves the Sonic rescue mission. I'll be recording a bunch tonight, so please bear with me. As a note, the title "Dying Resistance: Freedom's Hefty Price" is a placeholder title. Couldn't decide between these two, so I plugged both titles in. Let me know in a review which one you like more. Starting the story on board the Death Egg. Sure, it will mean witnessing firsthand Sonic's brutal death at the hands of Chaos' Zavok's, Shadow's and Metal Sonic's copies, but I think at this point, anything's fair game. Have a good day and hopefully hear from everyone soon!

Sonic the Hedgehog

Dying Resistance: Freedom's Hefty Price

Chapter 1: Death of a Legend, Kindling of a New Flame

In a dimly lit prison cell on board the Death Egg, Sonic sat with his hands bound in front of him and a forcefield making sure he stayed in one place no matter what. Though he was somewhat banged up, it was a little difficult to tell because of how dark it was. He had heard, as soon as he had boarded the Death Egg, that a Resistance movement had been started by Knuckles and all of his friends to try and fight back against Eggman's takeover of Mobius with his new partner, Infinite. However, no rescue mission had even been attempted yet. He knew, though, that they hadn't forgotten about him. Tails had, after all, fled with the other furs in the area when he had suffered a beatdown at the hands of the Phantom Ruby's copies of this world's strongest. Surely he would've said something to Knuckles and the others...or had he? What if he had been too afraid to even bring it up? Whatever happened, he wasn't going to give Eggman the satisfaction of hearing him cry. No matter what he did.

As if on cue, the evil genius himself came over a loudspeaker and said, "Oh, you'll break, my darling Sonic. You'll break, and the little Resistance founded on your behalf will crumble into ashes."

Not one to let Eggman get the best of him, the Blue Blur responded, chuckling, "Don't you know the old saying, Eggman? From the ashes, a fire shall be woken…" He wasn't worried, as he knew that even if he did die, the Resistance would carry on his legacy, and Blaze was carrying his child, though only she, Shadow, Tails and Knuckles knew at this point and she was still early in her pregnancy. The 'magic' had happened only two weeks after his birthday party, as Blaze would soon be departing and he wanted her to know _exactly_ how strongly he felt about her. Annoyed by the fact that Sonic _still_ wasn't shaken, he said, communicating through an open channel, though he didn't realize it at the time, "Zavok,I'm activating the ruby and bringing out the other copies. I've put up with that hedgehog's cheek long enough!"

The copy of the Zeti nodded and soon after, the clones of Metal Sonic, Chaos, and Shadow all materialized outside the cell. Once they were there, Zavok's copy asked, "Shall we torture him now, master?"

Eggman smirked and nodded, "Yes, begin….begin his...EXECUTION."

Sonic trembled. Though he wasn't afraid to die, he had hoped the madman would make it a quick and painless death, not a dragged out painful one by the hands of copies. He said, looking directly at the camera outside the cell, "Eggman? Come on, if you wanna kill me, why not just shoot me in the chest and be done with it? Why drag it out?"

Eggman responded, "Because I wanna show you that I AM better than you. Why else?"

` Sonic growled, "Fine...but if Tails and the others storm your base and destroy every last robot in your army, don't blame me!"

Moments later, Eggman ended the transmission with a simple, "Nice knowing you, Sonic. Now, robots, DO IT!"

The copy of Metal Sonic lowered the forcefield, ripped the cuffs off Sonic's arms and not caring if he tore the skin or ripped fur off, since they had been ordered to kill him. He then shoved the Blue Blur hard against the wall and pinned him, nodding to Zavok and Chaos.

Zavok and Chaos's copies were soon by his side and began pummeling the speedy blue hedgehog to a pulp.

Getting an idea, Eggman smirked and changed the frequency on the camera outside Sonic's cell to match the one that the Resistance was broadcasting on, hoping to stop them in their tracks before they got too far in their opposition of him. He then turned on his PA and made sure that it was also on that frequency. He said, "Good evening, Resistance fighters. Did you miss me? Anyway, don't think that I haven't been noticing what you are trying to do. Unless you STOP right now with it, I can't guarantee that Sonic here will draw another breath."

Gasping at seeing Sonic so beaten up, Tails shook his head, knowing that it wasn't what Sonic would want from anybody. In response to what Eggman said, he told Nicole to broadcast directly to the Death Egg and said, "No way, Egghead. While he is my best friend...we know it's not what he would expect of us, so there's no way we'll give in!"

Sonic, coughing blood by this point, mind you, weakly responded, barely audible, "Tails...he's…*groan* lying to you. He's going to kill me anyway. Shut down the transmission…"

Though he could barely hear the Blue Blur, Tails knew what Sonic meant, but gulped back tears and nodded, "Okay. Try to hang on, Sonic. We'll get there as soon we can, all right?"

Sonic chuckled weakly and said, "Not...gonna...hold my breath…."

Tails, worried sick that Sonic could die before they'd get to him, responded, "Okay. And...if we don't make it, I'm sorry."

Sonic shook his head, telling the young fox with a small smile despite everything that was happening, "Don't apologize, it's not your fault, Tails. I got in way over my head on that one. Just...do me a favor and tell Blaze that I love her and our kid, okay?"

Tails gasped, but nodded, anger and fear making his entire body shake, "Okay. I love you, big brother. Goodbye…" He hung up the transmission, then broke down crying on Nicole's console. She soon materialized in her Mobian form behind him and hugged him, having been able to tell that it was especially hard for him to say all of that to his long-time friend. She said, "That was very brave, Tails. I'm proud of you."

Tails responded, "Don't say you're proud of me until we've gotten Sonic home. All right?"

Sally told him, "You heard what Sonic said, Tails. Even _he_ isn't entirely sure he's going to be alive by the time we get to him. There is a small chance of that, but we can't bank on it. Let's just focus on defeating Infinite, retrieving the Phantom Ruby and rescuing anyone else that has been held captive, all right?"

Tails gulped, but nodded, "Right. Nicole, display a map of Mobius, if you would. I need a full summary of how things stand."

Nicole nodded and displayed the map, which showed that Eggman now controlled most of the world. She clenched a fist since she was still in Mobian form, "It looks like Eggman now controls a large portion of Mobius. We need to do something about this! We can't just let things stay how they are."

Blaze, who was leaning against a far wall, responded, "You're right, we can't, Nicole. But what are we supposed to do? If we jump into action too soon, I'm afraid my child won't have a safe home. And I want Sonic's child to live in the same world he did, not in the Sol Dimension. I can already feel her power growing, and she's only two weeks old. I fear that if she stays in the Sol Dimension, my people will be afraid of her and force an abortion. Whereas here on Mobius, while _some_ may be afraid of her, they'll ultimately accept her, as Sonic accepted me."

Tails sighed and said, "Blaze, it's too early to tell the gender of your baby. You know that, right?"

Blaze nodded, "I know, but I've had the feeling that...Sonic's child is going to be a girl ever since finding out. I can't explain why, but...I don't think he'd have it any other way." She grinned a little, reminded of his attitude the morning after they had done things.

Amy asked her, "Blaze...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous, but...if Sonic doesn't survive, are you going to be okay to raise the baby alone?"

Blaze sighed and responded, "It's not going to be easy. I realize that, but I know Sonic. He would tell me that if anyone can handle being a single parent, it's me. Unlike a lot of my own people, he's very supportive of me and not afraid. Ever since meeting him, I've felt very at home with him, no matter where we are. Whether it's in my dimension, here, or somewhere in between."

Silver nodded, "We all get that. I think what Amy is asking is if you want help when the baby comes."

Blaze told him, "I may need help here and there, but when she's old enough to speak and understand when she's being spoken to, I want to be the one to tell her about her father. All right?"

Knuckles responded, nodding despite the grim outlook, "That sounds fair. After all, you were closer to him than anyone else."

Blaze told them, "Thank you. Let's get busy putting together a rescue plan. Despite his insistence to the contrary, I doubt Eggman has the Death Egg that well protected, and I want Sonic to at least get the chance to feel his little girl moving at least once before he passes on."

Tails sighed, but then looked at Nicole and nodded, knowing what Blaze was saying. He said, "All right, but it's got to be a quick in-and-out mission to the Death Egg. I've put together a compound that should be able to disable the security and weapons on board it temporarily, but it won't last forever."

Amy gasped, then smiled and nodded, "Great job, Tails! So how long will the stuff last?"

Tails told her, "I'd say about 6 hours, give or take about 10 minutes for it to take effect. That should be long enough to get to Sonic's cell and break him out. Is there anyone currently with us that could move that quickly?"

Astra and Tobias, twin hedgehogs created from Shadow's DNA, that had been rescued from under Eggman's amusement park in a secret lab, waved their hands as if to answer the question. Astra said, "My brother and I can go pretty quickly when we want to."

Shadow, who had been silently watching the entire time, spoke up and told her, "Listen, little one, as much as you and your brother annoy me, I don't want you killed. You shouldn't attempt a rescue mission by yourselves. Besides, what would you do if Sonic was injured?"

Tobias, who had slightly more attitude than his sister, retorted, "Simple, we'd carry him out, old man."

Blaze sighed and said, "And if he's dying? What would you do then?"

Astra, not sure of how to respond to Sonic's lover, said, "Umm….well, we'd make sure his last moments were peaceful and comfortable, of course. You can come with us if you want to, 'mom.'" She had the nagging feeling that they were going to need Blaze's firepowers, as her pregnancy had somewhat intensified the flames. The first few days of the feline's pregnancy had been tough, as her flames had been all but snuffed out. But the very next day, on the fifth day to be more precise, the flames had become closer to white in color, and much hotter. Everyone had guessed that the power boost had come from the unborn child, who Nicole guessed would have a combination of Sonic's powers and Blaze's powers.

Now, Nicole said, "Okay, well, whatever happens to Sonic, we need to keep this Resistance going. We can't let Eggman get to us, no matter what he pulls. Does everyone understand?"

Tails gulped, but nodded, "Okay, Nicole. You've got it. I'll keep fighting, for the sake of Blaze and his unborn kid. It's what he would want, you know?"

Sally smiled and nodded, her friendship with Sonic staying strong even if they didn't have romantic feelings toward each other anymore, "Yes, you're right about that one, Tails. Even if he can't lead the fight himself, he would want us to keep our wits about us and keep on fighting to free the world no matter what."

After all was said and done, and a quick in-and-out rescue plan had been made, Blaze, Astra and Tobias boarded a spaceship that Tails had built recently, based on the design Eggman had made for the gigantic mech that he had used to try and oppose Sonic when he had freed the Wisps from captivity. ((A/n: Think the Wii version of Colors, final boss fight. That's what it looks like except for no tentacle arms.)) Tails hugged Blaze and told her, "If you do get to Sonic before he is dead, please apologize to him again for me." Blaze sighed and stroked the top of his head, knowing full well what had happened the day Sonic had been captured. She told him, "Listen, Tails...Sonic doesn't blame you. Everyone heard your conversation, and no one holds you responsible, all right? Just let it go. Sonic wouldn't want you to hang onto the guilt from that day, and I don't want that for you either. Don't worry about it."

Tails nodded and told her, "This ship also has escape pods and small shuttles if you should ever need them. You probably will, given the scope of the Death Egg and how tight security is there. I wouldn't try docking on it directly. I'd stop outside the forcefield Eggman has around it so you're less likely to get caught." Blaze nodded, and with that, she got into the spaceship and closed the door after Astra and Tobias had gotten in.

After close to 3 hours of traveling, they stopped as Tails had advised them to, directly outside the forcefield around the Death Egg. They got into a smaller shuttle and managed to breach the forcefield without setting off an alarm, due to the small size of the vessel. Once they got in, Astra, Tobias and Blaze landed their small shuttle on a landing pad and went inside. When they got in, they were instantly greeted by robots, though they hadn't set off any alarms.

Melting the robots within moments of seeing them, due to the currently white-hot flames in her body, Blaze sighed and said, "We need to find out where Sonic is being held, and quickly. The sooner we know where he is, the sooner we can get out of here."

Astra nodded, "Right."

Tobias replied, "Won't be easy finding a computer room, but I think we'll manage it."

After an hour of searching, they found a computer room that contained a layout of the Death Egg and located where Sonic's cell was. They quickly went to it, and upon arriving, found Sonic on the floor, very bloody, badly bruised and barely breathing.

Astra gasped, "Big...big brother!" She called out, as if her loud voice would wake the Blue Blur up.

Tobias shook his head, "No good, he's out cold and hardly breathing. We need to get him medical attention, stat."

Blaze told them, sensing Sonic's life ebbing away with every second, "Even if we did that, it would still be too late, you two. He's barely got any life left in him, and the strain of the trip back to Mobius would kill him in an instant."

Sonic began waking up at the sound of her voice and coughed out, weakly, "Not...necessarily...Blaze."

Blaze gasped at hearing his voice and her eyes brimmed with tears, relief spreading through her like wildfire, "Sonic, oh thank goodness! Astra, see if you can take this forcefield down."

Astra nodded, and once she found the control panel, she pressed down on it and removed the forcefield from Sonic's cell. She then said, "It's down, Blaze, but like you said, the trip back to Mobius would probably be enough to kill Sonic."

Blaze responded, "And he said it wouldn't necessarily, so there you go."

Tobias folded his arms and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but he's been known to stretch the truth a little too."

Blaze sighed, "Maybe...but like I told Tails, I want to give him the chance to feel his baby girl's movements, at least once more."

Astra nodded, out of respect for her feelings, and fell quiet.

Sonic chuckled and told Blaze weakly, as she helped him up, "You don't know it's a girl, Blaze...still...way...too early, you know." He coughed, the effort to speak having hurt him somewhat.

Blaze shrugged, holding him, "Maybe it is, but the baby is shown to have flame powers and only females can inherit flame powers in my world. Though, the flames will probably be hotter. My own powers are temporarily strengthened, and the flames are white-hot. Even just in making our way here, I was able to melt all the robots we encountered without much effort."

Sonic smiled and nodded, "Sounds...like...she'll be a force to be reckoned with when she grows...up...then." He coughed and groaned softly from pain. Blaze nodded and responded, "Let's get you on board the ship, Sonic." Once they reached the spaceship, Blaze and Tobias made a direct beeline to the infirmary, so they could stabilize the Blue Blur's condition before taking off. However, it was not to be.

When the feline and hedgehog made it to the infirmary, Sonic had said weakly, "Blaze...I love...you." She teared up and kissed his hand, begging him to hang on with the gesture. She told him, "I love you too, Sonic...but please, don't give up! I need you! Our baby needs you!" Sonic groaned in pain and shook his head, the pain in his grievous injuries from the pummeling growing ever worse. He told her quietly, "Blaze...my bones are all but dust now...and my organs are almost mush, thanks to the Phantom Ruby's copies. ...Sorry to have to...leave you..but…*Groans, coughs* it can't be helped. I was too focused on...protecting everyone else. Thank you...for an amazing last night. I love you…" As he was about to close his eyes forever, Blaze sat on the side of the bed and collected him into her arms, wanting the last thing he felt to be her warm embrace and the subtle movements of his developing daughter.

Sonic smiled and responded, "Love you...too, Blaze. Oh wow...I can feel the baby moving. This is...amazing...thank you, honey, for letting me feel it, one last time." He then closed his eyes and passed away peacefully in Blaze's arms, smiling in spite of the brutal way he had been killed. Hours later, Sonic was buried close to his parents, and a small celebration of his life was held, in spite of everyone's broken hearts. Sonic's friends did this because they knew it would be what he would want, and they never let Eggman see them shed a single tear. They needed to show the evil scientist that even though they had lost someone pertinent to their cause, they weren't going to let the fires of rebellion die out, no matter how sad or dangerous things got for them.


	2. Chapter 2 Preserving Family

A/N: Hoping to spend most of the evening catching up on things, so count on seeing a new chapter not only to this, but to things on my YouTube channel as well. Breath of a New Era, Darkened Blur and Phoenix Wright should all be caught up by the end of summer, and I will record for a Breath of the Wild vlog next week, since it's taking so long for me to unlock everything. Call it a splash of inspiration from my nephew, if you would. Anyway, here is the new chapter. Hope you enjoy! And no, still haven't settled on Dying Resistance or Freedom's Hefty Price, so placeholder still in effect. Also debated on having Sonic revived, using the two Emerald groups, but then thought a little more and decided not to because I know that at his core, Sonic is purehearted and respects "the circle of life". Also, even if his spirit was still lingering for whatever reason, he'd see how much Tails grows and the bonds between the Resistance members strengthening, and would not want to stand in the way of that. Also, the chapter title is not a misnomer for Katy Perry's song, though I may make a Resistance tribute video using that at some point. Anyway, please enjoy!

Dying Resistance: Freedom's Hefty Price

Chapter 2: Firework

A couple of weeks after Sonic's life celebration, Knuckles stood in Resistance Headquarters, looking around and wondering if it had been worth it. They had suffered a tremendous blow, especially since Sonic had essentially been a very effective morale booster and second-in-command. Sally had taken over his roles in the movement against Eggman, but with a heavy heart and some reluctance, as she knew Sonic had more spirit and tenacity than she ever would.

Astra and Tobias, after they had managed to get Blaze back into good spirits, had served as round the clock bodyguards for her, as Tails had no doubt in his mind that she would be next if they weren't careful with their strikes. For now, the Resistance was mainly striking military targets and weapons factories, as they didn't want to risk harming too many innocent civilians. They were also careful to check for the Eggman Empire slogan on the target before deciding what was to be done about it, and if it seemed abandoned, they occupied it and used it as a base of operations for the nearby region. After a while, Tails sighed and muttered, "Guys...we all miss Sonic, but I think we need to move to targets of a larger scale now and start cutting off the supply chain for his robots. Sonic didn't die so we could sit on our collective bums and do nothing. He died so we could protect our beautiful planet in his place! Who's with me?"

Blaze, Sally, Knuckles. Amy and Shadow nodded in agreement with Tails, then helped him choose the first supply depot they would attack. Blaze added, placing a hand on her growing stomach, "Just promise me that whoever goes along on the said mission won't get hurt. Also...doesn't attacking the heart of Eggman's forces seem a bit premature?"

Tails sighed and shook his head, "It's not premature at all. He started it when he killed Sonic! If anything, we've been generous, holding off as long as we have. Blaze, I need you to do me and everyone else a favor though, and go back to the Sol Dimension for a short time. I think the last thing Sonic would want us to do is place you and your unborn kid in danger. I know that your people don't like him, so I'll contact Marine and see if she can host you aboard her ship for a short time until this blows over."

Blaze nodded, then added, "That would be all right, so long as I can come back before the child is born. Sonic told me before he died that he wanted his kid born on Mobius, and I want to fulfill that final wish." Thinking a moment, Tails went over to the window and looked out, then told her reluctantly, "All right, you can come back after a few weeks. We'll have someone meet you at Resistance HQ. Just don't be late." Blaze nodded her head and gave Tails a hug, knowing she would miss him while she was gone. Though at first the two had argued a lot, they had become the best of friends over the course of the war, brought together not only by the death of the Blue Blur but also by common interest of keeping the peace and restoring Mobius to its former glory. She told him, "Good luck, and please be careful." Tails smiled and nodded. Though he wasn't sure how the mission to destroy a supply depot would go, he knew that it was a very risky undertaking. Perhaps he should put this one off on some of the rookies, Shadow and Silver, just in case. He didn't want Sally, Nicole, Amy, Knuckles or any of the command team to be injured. It was bad enough that Sonic had been taken from them.

After Blaze left using the Sol Emeralds, Tails thought a moment, then gasped, "Wait a minute...what if we got some outside help with defeating Eggman and Infinite?"

Knuckles asked, "Outside help...what do you mean?"

Nicole smiled, "I think I know where he's going with this, Knuckles. He wants to call Megaman in for help...but wouldn't it take a lot of power for us to be able to communicate with him?"

Tails responded, "It would, but if we reroute power from one of the weapons factories we occupied, to here at HQ for a few hours, we should be able to get through. Besides, it might be kinda cool to talk to him again. Who knows? Maybe he's gotten stronger too."

Shadow, who had been listening the entire time, finally spoke up and told him, "Even if he hasn't, he could always bring Dr. Light, Roll and Protoman with him. Between the four of them, they should be able to manage something that'll help bring an end to this war."

Sally nodded, "He's right,guys. If Sonic were still alive, he wouldn't be happy that this has gone on as long as it has. This war needs to end. If not for us, then for Sonic's daughter. If she grows up in a time of war, she'll never know how to relax."

Tails asked, "Just curious, did you and Blaze manage to come up with some names for the baby before she left?"

Sally responded, "Yes, we came up with three. Alexis if she's a hybrid, Melanie if she's a hedgehog, and Marissa if she's a said she was leaning more towards her being a hybrid though, since she and Sonic can both control very powerful gems, which could prevent any offspring resulting from them getting together, from leaning either way in terms of what species the child is. So, we'll just have to wait and see."

Tails nodded, "Right. Well, let's get in touch with Megaman then. I...I am worried about one more thing though." He sighed.

Knuckles, having known Tails for a long time and guessing at where his mind was going, added, "We have to tell him either way, Tails. Let's just break it to him as gently as possible, okay? And make sure you tell him _exactly_ how it all ended for Sonic. While it wasn't pleasant for any of us to witness...he will want to know everything. You should know that better than anyone."

Tails nodded, "Right. I'm ready. Okay, Nicole, reroute power from Prower Weapons Factory 645 to this base and open a channel to Megaman's world as soon as you get that done." He trembled and began to cry a little, the night before Sonic's imprisonment on the Death Egg, and the subsequent fatal beatdown he had faced playing over in the young fox's mind. Before he could say another word, Sally walked over and hugged him. She then knelt to meet the young fox's eyes, and told him, "Tails...how about you just tell Megaman about when Sonic was captured? I know you saw both pummelings, but it might be better for Megaman to hear it from someone who wasn't forced to interrupt a conversation with his best friend as he was living out what could have been his final moments."

Knuckles nodded in agreement and added, "She's right,Tails. It'll be a lot easier on you if you let someone else tell him about the final beatdown of Sonic's life. After all, Eggman did…" He trailed off and clenched a fist, then took a deep breath and continued, " _oh so graciously_ , broadcast his torture for the whole Resistance, and those interested in helping the cause, to see." Tails sighed and nodded, "Yeah, I guess you guys are right." He then said to Nicole, "Just do me one more small favor in regards to this, Nicole. Reroute just a little more power from another station and get Blaze in on the call too. After all, Sonic didn't completely die after the beating and his last moments were with her and their kid. He died in her arms, a hero, who was completely at peace with everything that happened. And I think Sonic would want Megaman to remember him that way. Not as a victim of Eggman's brutality or a war trophy. Okay?"

Nicole smiled and nodded, picking up on the little bit of Sonic's spirit that lived on through his 'little brother', Miles Tails Prower. She then replied, "No problem, Tails." With this, the A.I. rerouted all the power the young fox had asked him to and sent a signal to Megaman's world, as well as to the Sol Dimension. Not long after, Light Labs received the video call and Roll replied, "Light Labs, Roll speaking. How can I help you...tonight?! Whoa, Tails, Knuckles, everyone! Hello, how are you all?"

Tails shrugged and took a deep breath, then responded, though he couldn't hide the grief and sadness he was still feeling from the loss of Sonic, "As well as can be expected, considering everything that's happened so far. How is everyone there, Roll?"

Roll told him, noticing the bit of pain in his tone, "We're all okay. But you sound sad. What's happened?"

Rock spoke up as well, a little surprised to be hearing from Sonic's world after so long, "Yeah...you wouldn't be contacting us unless the situation was pretty dire. What's going on?"

Tails trembled a little, then finally told them, "Sonic has been killed, by a tyrannical partnership between Eggman and Infinite, a jackal mercenary who got hold of the Phantom Ruby, which has the ability to alter reality. He used copies of Zavok, Chaos, Metal Sonic and even Shadow to do the job. He even….he even broadcast one of Sonic's pummelings to try and stop us from opposing their ownership of Mobius. Our Resistance hasn't given up but...it's a lot harder to coordinate things without Sonic, and...morale's at an all-time low around here. Long story short, we need some outside help."

Blues, unsure about this, spoke up and said, "If we did offer our help, how do we know we won't just get killed as well? As one who's seen him fight before, I know that killing Sonic can't have been easy for that crazed scientist."

Tails, feeling the guilt rising in him, responded with tear-filled eyes, "It _wasn't_ easy for him! Hence why I mentioned the Phantom Ruby! But Sonic died protecting all of us and because…"

Rock spoke up and finished Tails' sentence, noticing the tears on the young fox's face and feeling slight sympathy for him, "Because he was protecting you, his best friend. You know something about what happened to him. Don't you?"

Tails sighed and nodded, "Yes. I was leading a group of civilians away from a city that Eggman was attacking with his help, and before I could even comprehend what was happening, Infinite, Eggman's partner, attacked us and caught us off guard. Most of them got away, but Sonic...got beaten to the point of unconsciousness making sure that we all got to safety. A day or two later, after he got captured, Eggman had Sonic beaten to death by some of the Phantom Ruby copies and made us all watch."

Roll gasped and trembled, "He...he made you watch him kill Sonic?! That's...that's terrible, I'm sorry!" Hearing this news caused the young helper robot to cry a little. Seeing Roll's emotional reaction, Blues sighed and shook his head, replying, "If this Phantom Ruby has the power to alter reality and perception as you say it does, how do you know that he wasn't just using that to make it look like-" Before Blues could finish speaking, Blaze cut him off and said, "I KNOW. I was...Sonic died in my arms, all right? Astra, Tobias and I were sent on a rescue mission. We wouldn't have been sent on a mission for something that didn't happen."

Blues sighed and said, "Look. The pummeling that Tails talked about, I'm sure happened. The child is not shown to be a liar. But a fatal pummeling a few days later? No. Sonic has shown that he's very durable. It would take a lot of force to kill someone like him." He looked at Blaze, who was displayed on a separate screen and said, "And you? I don't even know you that well and you tell me Sonic /died/ in your care? How do I know that you weren't the one that killed him and this isn't all just some big ruse to make Rock decide to help you, when you won't even tell us EVERYTHING about what's been going on?"

Rock looked over to Blues and folded his arms, "Last I checked, _I'm_ the one in charge, not you, Blues. They aren't lying. If they were, I would've sensed that something was off about what they were saying. Everything checks out. Even…" He sighed and clenched his left fist, "even the part about them having to _watch_ Sonic _die_ right in front of them. Tell me, if something similar were to happen here, say...Sigma teamed up with Wily, and they forced the three of us to watch as they rewrote Roll's programming to fight us...do you think _Sonic's friends_ would turn a blind eye to _us_ if we called and asked them for a little assistance? Huh?"

Blues was at a loss for words. He knew Rock was right. In fact, such a thing had happened. But on the other hand, he didn't want to see the boy make a rash decision that could harm them in the long run. After a few moments, he finally spoke again and said, "No, but they don't have the same experiences as I do, Rock. I'm just saying we should ask them a few more questions before committing to going over there. I'm not suggesting we turn a blind eye to their plight, just get a little more information. Okay?"

Rock sighed and nodded, "All right, fine. So, what's happened over there other than Sonic dying, Tails?"

Tails related all he could to them about the war, and also let Knuckles, Shadow, and Sally give their accounts of what was currently going on, in order to give the guy as much information as they could. After everyone had a turn, he asked, "Do you need anything else?"

Rock shook his head, "No, that's enough for me. Blues?"

Blues told them, sighing and replying with a new resolve in his tone, "Fine, I'll go too. If for no other reason than to make sure that Rock and Roll stay safe. Just promise me one thing, Rock."

Rock looked at him curiously and responded, "What's that?"

Blues answered, "If you find yourself in over your head at any point, or that the Phantom Ruby that they mentioned is messing with your optic sensors, you'll get yourself and Roll safely away from that area. The last thing we need is to lose you two as well."

Rock nodded, smiling a little, "You got it, big guy. Okay, Tails. Let us know when you find a way to bring us over there. We're coming to help you."

Tails responded, smiling and nodding, "I'll let you know when we've got the portals up and running. See you later." He hung up the call and almost did a victory dance, but then remembered that Eggman had cameras on a lot of places, so he decided against it. Some time later, with Nicole's and Rotor's help, he had the portals setup, called Megaman and told him, then teleported Rock, Roll and Blues all to the Resistance HQ, "Thanks for coming on such short notice. Now we might be able to turn the tide of this war!"

Blues sighed and shrugged, "I don't know about _that_ , Tails, but we'll certainly try." With that, Tails took them on a tour of their headquarters and introduced Rock and Roll to all the rookies. Blues was left largely to his own devices, though he usually shadowed Rock and Roll to ensure for himself that they weren't being harmed.

A/n: So yeah...this went into the direction of Worlds Unite/Collide. Didn't mean for it too, but that's where it went, and I have to say I'm looking forward to more chapters now because of it! :) For now it's just Megaman, but if you want something else added as a possible world or maybe just characters from that world to make a cameo, let me know in a review and I'll try to find a way to add it next time.


	3. Chapter 3 Birth and Visitations

Dying Resistance: Freedom's Hefty Price

Chapter 3: Resurgence, Birth and Visitations

A few days after Rock, Roll and Blues had arrived to help Tails and the "dying embers" of a Resistance, as Eggman so coined them after Sonic had passed away, Shadow, Tails, Knuckles and Silver were all discussing their first major strike on a power plant under Eggman's control. Blues and Rock were listening in on the conversation, wanting to help since they hadn't been doing very much yet to honor Sonic's memory yet. Tails, Roll and Sally were also listening in.

Shadow said, "We should make it a full-on frontal assault, let Egghead know that we mean business and don't take kindly to being made to watch his brutal arrogance. We have no time to play any of his games if we want Sonic's child growing up in peace."

Sally sighed and told him, "While I agree with you in principle, Shadow, we'd be no better than he is if we just roll in there, guns blazing. We have to first make sure that there are no civilians in there, being forced to do Eggman's bidding to keep their families safe. Nicole…can you scan the nearest Eggnet power plant for life signs?"

Nicole nodded and flinched, "Unfortunately…there are some Mobian life-readings. And…one moment while I hack his cameras to get a better look...most of them are outfitted with what looks like some kind of choke collar, and a couple of them are children. How can…how can he do that to those poor kids?!" She was very angry, as she was reminded of what Sonic and Sally had witnessed as children.

Tails sighed and reminded her, "Because he likes to watch people squirm, and it's Eggman. Does it really need any more explanation than that? Are any of them roboticized, Nicole?"

Nicole sighed and responded, "One of the children, which is a female tiger, and one of the adults, a male bear. They don't have names on the red jumpers Eggman's having them wear, but they do have numbers with a couple of letters to indicate species. The girl tiger is FYT-37812, and the male bear is MMB-1672. I guess the middle letter is an indicator for young or mature, as well. What a jerk…"

Rock spoke up and said, "We should first do recon on the place and evacuate the Mobians. Like you all, I don't wanna shed any innocent blood in all this. So…first recon, then we rig up the generators to blow the place sky high. It won't stop Eggman forever, of course, but it will slow him down long enough for us to cut off the rest of his supply chain, like Tails originally planned."

Astra walked in and said, having just heard what Rock said, "That'll take care of the robots, but what do we do about Infinite and the Phantom Ruby?"

Shadow looked at her, Tobias, Silver and Rouge, then smirked, getting an idea, "How about Rouge, Silver and I focus on distracting him, while you and your brother take the Phantom Ruby from him? Without it, he'll be powerless against Silver and I and we can take him down."

Knuckles smiled and nodded, "It's the first good idea we've had in a while, so…go for it. But who's gonna be on the recon team?"

Tails spoke up and said, "We should limit it to the ones who have had stealth training and the quiet ones, so Eggman doesn't know we're sneaking in. And also who can hack technology so the external cameras can be disabled. I guess that would be me then. So…let's see…"

Rouge told him, "Shadow and I will go too. That's a team of three. Do we need any more than that?"

Shadow nodded and said, "It needs to be an even number in case anyone gets hurt. With this being an Eggman power plant, it's bound to be booby-trapped and we don't know anything about it other than what we could decipher from Nicole's brief glimpse in Eggman's camera. We need to be prepared for anything."

Tobias added, "I'll come along to make it four. After all, I've not done much to help you guys and I'd like to if I can."

Silver nodded, "Yeah…I guess it is time that you proved your worth, Tobias. Just be careful, okay?"

Astra walked over and hugged Tobias, telling him, "Yeah, please do, little brother. I love you, and you're very important."After this brief interaction, Nicole recommended that their small team leave at night so that they would have the cover of darkness for an additional layer of concealment. Shadow nodded in agreement and added, "We'll leave at dusk."

Nicole nodded and told them, "Good luck."

After resting for a few hours, Tobias, Shadow, Rouge and Tails all gathered in the main lobby of Resistance HQ to formulate a plan of action for getting a head count on the Mobians at the power plant, and then getting them out as soon as possible. Tails suggested, "Shadow, maybe you should gather the intel. You're the fastest among us and could quickly cut through the corridors and work bays to shed light on how many we need to…free?" He had heard the sound of someone clearing their throat, and was confused for a moment, but then remembered something. He softly sighed and told his friends, "I forgot…Blaze is supposed to be having her baby any day. I wasn't paying close attention to the time. Hard to believe we've been fighting Eggman for 9 MONTHS. It really doesn't feel like it has been that long. But anyway…let me see what Nicole needs before she blows a gasket." He walked over to the main console and asked Nicole, "What's up, Nicole?"

Nicole responded, "Tails…I'm sorry to interrupt you guys. I know your mission is important, but Blaze is going into labor and she wants you to stay here. You and Amy both. I'm guessing it's because you were both close friends of Sonic. Astra has volunteered to take your place since she has been tutoring on technology under you. Granted, she's not as experienced as you, but she's better than nothing. Keeping the two of them together _shouldn't_ cause any problems, but if I notice either of them getting distracted, I will be quick to bring the focus back on the mission. Is that okay?"

Tails sighed and nodded, "It will have to be. Thank you, Nicole. Is Blaze in the infirmary already?'

Nicole told him, "Yes. Amy's there already as well. She took Blaze there once she noticed she had gone into labor."

Tails told her, "Thank you. Good luck, everyone." He walked off and nodded to Astra as he handed her the Miles Electronic. He muttered to her, "Don't disappoint me."

Astra patted Tails on the shoulder as a silent reassurance and then muttered back, "You just make sure that Blaze and the baby survive. Okay?" She walked over to Shadow, Tobias and Rouge and nodded to them. Though she was a tad nervous because of the nature of the mission, she told them, "So we'll stick with Tails' original plan, but with a couple of minor modifications. Shadow, you'll still do the gathering of info and get the headcounts on the Mobian workers, but after that, you leave the mission up to Rouge and the rest of us. To put it mildly, you're a jerk. The people that have been forced to work here need a friendly helping hand, not a cold shoulder. We'll evacuate them, and then Blues, Omega and Nicole can come rig up the charges to blow up the power plant. My brother does have his hostile moments, but if I'm around, he does his best to keep himself in check. Why that is, I have no clue. You three just make sure you set the timer on the bomb to leave yourself enough time to get out. We don't need anyone getting hurt."

Blues nodded and responded, "We will make sure that nobody's in the building as well while we're placing the charges. If anyone was left behind by the evacuation team, Nicole, make sure you get them out. Omega and I will handle the charges should anyone have been left. It makes the most sense."

Roll gasped and spoke up, "Maybe it does, but…what if there're still other Eggman robots around after all the Mobians are gone? Someone could get hurt…"

Omega spoke up and said, "There is no doubt that Eggman has robots in the power plant, but the recon team will help take care of that as well. Though it is doubtful they will exterminate ALL the robots, they won't leave too many behind for us to fight. Correct Rouge, Shadow?"

Rouge told Omega, "That's right, Omega. We've got this, RoboPrincess, don't worry. Blues is your brother, but he can look out for himself. I've seen him fight."

Shadow nodded, "I have as well, and he is very good at combat. And as Omega said, we don't plan on leaving Eggman's robots in play. Once the civilians are evacuated, Rouge, Rock, Silver, Astra and I will go and fight whatever straggler Eggman robos there are to help clear the way for the demolition team. If there ARE enough robos. If not, Astra and Silver…you two go on back to HQ, all right?"

Astra sighed and told Shadow, "Okay, Dad. Just do me a favor and promise me you won't get hurt too badly or lose your power rings. I think everyone knows what happens when you're stripped of those."

Shadow nodded and walked over to her, gently patting her shoulder, "Right. I'll be careful."

Silver responded, "Well then, seems like we're ready to go with the mission. Good luck everyone!"

With that, Shadow, Rouge, Astra and Tobias all left Resistance HQ headed to Eggman's power plant to gather information as well as free the Mobian workers. Once they got there, they split up, with Shadow going around the corridors and lab to get a headcount on how many had been captured, and Rouge, Astra and Tobias trying to get to the computer room in order to download a map of the power plant so that the demolition team would be able to figure out the exact spots to place the charges. After the map was on the Miles Electric, Astra nodded and turned to Rouge and Tobias, "Well, we've got the information we need. Now we just find Shadow, get the counts on the workers, and…oh, you've gotta be kidding me. I thought this seemed too easy." She had trailed off because some Eggman robots had entered the computer room, blocking their exit. Noticing the girl's distress, Rouge told her, "You and your brother go on. I'll get these guys."

\- Astra gulped, but then nodded and asked, "Are you sure you don't want help?"

Rouge told her, more firmly, "I'm sure. You and your brother just focus on getting this information to the Resistance and getting the civilians out. Also, Shadow is still here, so he can help me fight if it becomes necessary. So don't you kids worry about me."

Astra folded her arms and sighed, shaking her head, "We're teenagers, so it's not like we're babies. But okay, we'll go. Good luck to you both." She gently hugged Rouge, then the two of them took off, heading back to Resistance HQ. She hoped that Shadow and Rouge would be able to escape the power plant without anyone being injured, but she wouldn't hold her breath, as she knew that Shadow had a tendency to overdo things if he thought it would help, particularly for Rouge. After the robots had been wiped out, or rather, the majority of them, courtesy of Shadow's Chaos Blast ability, he and Rouge both went back to Resistance as well. However, he had exhausted the majority of his energy, as he had removed the power rings from his arms due to the overwhelming number of robots closing in on their location. Not wanting to be slowed down and not wanting Rouge to come to harm, he had slid the power rings off and used all of his strength, not caring if he wiped himself out; all that mattered to him was Rouge's safety.

As the two were leaving, Rouge had slid his power rings back on so that he wouldn't die, then told him quietly, "Thank you, Shadow." She kissed his cheek, then added, "Let's get out of here. We don't need Silver or anyone else to flip out because the twins made it and we didn't." Shadow had stifled a yawn and then nodded. When they arrived, he explained briefly and quietly what happened, then went to get some rest to get his strength back.

Silver asked, "Is he going to be okay, Rouge? Will he still be able to help with the demolition?"

Rouge nodded and replied, "Yes, besides, you and a couple of others still need to evacuate the Mobian workers. That gives him some time to rest. He did get the headcount, which he gave to Astra and Tobias. I hope they shared that information with you along with the map that we downloaded onto Tails' computer."

Rock responded, "Yes, don't worry. We have all the information. Nicole made sure to download it into her systems as soon as they gave it to us. Are you okay?"

Rouge giggled and nodded, "Yes, don't worry. Unlike Shadow, I didn't put myself out early in the game. In fact, if the evacuation will have me, I'd like to help out."

Silver, Rock, and Astra all nodded. Astra told her, "I Think that was part of the original plan anyway. So, do we wanna leave now then, since everyone we need is here already? Or do we wanna wait until morning?"

Rouge explained, "The sooner we evacuate, the sooner we can blow up the base. And I'd rather that happen before tomorrow if at all possible."

Silver sighed, "Right. The workers are probably tired, but they'd probably be okay with getting out of there. We just have to make sure that we disable Eggman's security again before we go in. He probably re-activated it after you guys left."

Rouge sighed, "We'll need Tails for that one. Let's call up the Infirmary and see if Blaze has had her baby yet. It's been several hours, so the baby is probably here, or nearly here."

Astra asked, "Is that okay to do that though? Childbirth is really special."

Rouge raised an eyebrow and asked, "How do you know that?"

Astra explained, "Blaze told me before the mission to rescue Sonic."

Silver sighed and told Astra and Rouge, "Maybe it would be rude to just show up on video, but we really need Tails' help. He's the one who first downloaded the map and knows the layout of the base the best as well."

Rouge sighed and nodded, "Yeah, you're right, Silver, but still…I don't know if I could take seeing Blaze in that much pain. Especially knowing that Sonic…huh?" She heard what sounded like Sonic yelling to get her attention, but that couldn't be right…he was dead, she had seen his corpse for herself. So what was going on?

Sonic, now a ghost, appeared before Rouge and Astra and told them, "Hey guys. Sorry to just show up like this, but…labor's getting a bit rough for Blaze. She's right on the verge of death. I gotta go talk to her and encourage her to keep on living for our kid and the Resistance. But…it's good to see you. So how are things with you and Shadow, Astra? I know for a while there, you were at each other's throats."

Astra told him, "It's getting better. He…he's actually warming up to me some now. Me and my brother both. I think it's because we helped ensure that you died in the arms of the woman you loved though, and at least with some sense of peace. It made him happy in some respects, I think."

Sonic smiled and nodded, "Probably also helps that I died a hero's death as well. Anyway, I'm gonna go on. Oh, did I hear you all correctly that Tails is with Blaze right now?"

Rouge nodded, "Yes, he is. He's your best friend, after all. Probably feels its his duty to make sure Blaze lives. Nicole is there monitoring her as well."

Sonic responded, "Thank you, Rouge."

Rouge answered, "You're welcome. Now, after you talk to Blaze, what are you going to do? Go to the afterlife, or…?"

Sonic sighed and told her, "I don't know right now. I'm in limbo."

Astra gasped and asked, somewhat demanding an answer, "What do you mean? Why?"

Sonic responded, "I'm only in limbo because of my worry for Blaze. Once our kid's here and I see that both of them are okay, I'm sure I will move on to either Heaven or Hell."

Tobias, having been standing quietly by and listening to everything, told him, "Considering the good and selfless life you've lead, I should think its pretty obvious where you'll go. Sure, you've made mistakes and been a _little_ selfish at times, but overall, you've got a good heart. And I really think that's all that matters, don't you?"

Sonic smiled and shrugged, "I guess we'll find out after I move on, huh? Anyway, see you guys in a little while. Going to the infirmary now." He flew through the walls, as he _was_ a ghost and could move freely however he wanted, and eventually ended up in the infirmary with Blaze and Tails.

When he arrived, he saw Blaze hemorrhaging from between her legs and Tails standing by crying, holding a pink bundle. Tearing up a bit because of worrying for his best friend and lover, Sonic yelled, "Blaze, please! Don't give up now! You can survive this! Tails, the Resistance, heck, even our kid needs you. Nicole?"

Hearing Sonic's voice, Nicole gasped, "Sonic? How on earth are you-?"

Sonic told her, "I'm a ghost because I'm in limbo due to the bad timing of my death. But never mind about that. Have you tried to stabilize Blaze's heart rate and stop the bleeding?"

Nicole explained as calmly as she could manage, "I've tried, Sonic…but, I'm running out of options. I don't know what to do now!"

Out of curiosity and worry for the feline, Sonic asked, "Did she have a hedgehog or a cat?"

Nicole told him, "A hedgehog. She had three spines on her head, was the same color as her, and the eyes were more of a leaf green. She had a palish muzzle. Not white like Blaze, but not as much color as your muzzle had either. Sort of in between you and Blaze when it came to coloration. Could be related to the fact that you are both Emerald users though."

Sonic smiled and nodded, a little proud of his child, "I see. Well, I'm gonna talk to Blaze. She should live to see our child and raise her here on Mobius. She may be born into royalty, but I have the feeling that Blaze's family and the royal family of her dimension wouldn't want her to grow up to be their queen if they knew I was the father."

` Tails nodded, eyes brimmed with tears, "Yeah…probably not. I'm sorry you aren't resting in peace right now, Sonic. IF I had just acted a little sooner, maybe you'd still be-"

Sonic sighed and floated over to Tails, shaking his head, "It wasn't your fault, Tails. Eggman was the jerk, and you did everything you could. I don't blame you at all. Just take care of Blaze and the kid for me, okay? Keep them close, and keep them safe. Did Blaze choose a name for her?"

Tails nodded, "Actually, she thought it was going to be a boy, but she did already have a girl's name ready, just in case. Her name is Nova."

Sonic smiled and nodded, "I remember your dad talking about something like that, Tails. Aren't novas the explosions that help display the birth of a new star?"

Tails explained, "Yeah, but Blaze had a feeling that she was gonna grow up to be really powerful. Think about it. If the kid has a combination of your speed abilities combined with Blaze's pyrokinesis, she could be quite dangerous if she isn't trained on how to use and control them. That's another reason Blaze needs to live. So that if her kid does have the power of the flame, she can help her learn to control it. And as for the speed thing, well…we've got Shadow for that. He's the fastest of us now apart from Blaze and the twins."

Sonic chuckled and nodded, "Sounds like you had things prepared for in case…well, something like this happened. That's why you were always a good friend, Tails. You were always ready for just about anything. So are you going to put my kid in school or what, when she's walking and everything?"

Tails nodded, "Yeah, probably. Just looking in her eyes and face….I think she's gonna be just as smart and strong as you are. So…she'll be one tough cookie when she grows older. But, never mind about her. How's the afterlife treating you, buddy?"

Sonic sighed, "Not so good. Right now I'm in limbo. Mostly because of the unresolved things in my life when I died. Once everything seems settled, Eggman's been put in prison and Infinite's been set back on the right path in life, I'm sure that I'll be allowed into Heaven or wherever the heck it is I'm going."

Tails smiled and nodded, in spite of his shakiness and tears, "I'm sure that's where you'll end up. You always had a good heart, Sonic. Though you had a humongous ego, your heart was just as big, if not larger, than it was. Just…do me a favor, will you?"

Sonic looked confused and shrugged, but nodded, "I'll see what I can do. What do you need?"

Tails told him, "Tell God that I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

Sonic sighed and answered, "Tails…what happened to me wasn't of your design. And when your time comes, I'm sure that He will take that into account. You did everything possible given your situation. Let's just say that I've had a bit of time to think about things here in limbo. I will ask Him though, if He will reserve you a place in Heaven, because, I couldn't have asked for a better best friend. You were always my moral compass. If not for you and my other friends, the path of my life probably would have been a lot different than it was. I may have ended up like my Dad, and we all know what happened to him."

Tails nodded, "Yeah, that's a good point. Okay."

Sonic thought a moment, then added, "How about the girl's name be _Alexis_ Nova rather than just Nova? I mean, she is technically royalty, and the name Alex means King. Maybe we don't know if she'll be the next queen for the Sol Dimension, but I'd like her to at least have that included in her name, given her mother's lineage."

Tails chuckled and nodded, "Okay, Sonic. Alexis Nova it is. I'll let Blaze know once you talk her out of the coma. And don't say you can't, because you can be quite persuasive when you want to be. Please…try to go into Blaze's semi-conscious and try to bring her back to us. You know we need her."

Sonic nodded, "I will, Tails. I just wanted to make sure it was what you wanted me to do before I actually did it. Like I already told you, being in limbo has given me a lot of time to think. I'll stop by again before I go talk to Shadow."

Tails looked confused, "Shadow? What does he need?"

Sonic replied, "I don't know, but he was calling out my name a little while ago. I'm guessing that he and Rouge got more serious one night, like me and Blaze did, and she's pregnant now too. I can't say for sure, but that's my best guess. See you soon." He then entered Blaze's dream and started to talk to her, "Blaze?"

Hearing Sonic's voice above the storms in her dream, Blaze asked, confused, "Sonic? What…how are you-?"

Sonic responded, "I'm in limbo right now, Blaze. It's the only reason I can see into your semiconscious. Please…don't give up on everything. I know life feels a little hopeless right now with Eggman and Infinite fighting against you all…but if you don't give up and hold on, you can accomplish everything. Why do you think I didn't die until we got into the ship?"

Blaze thought a moment, then smirked and responded, "Because you didn't want Eggman to see you die so painfully."

Sonic sighed and added, "That and I didn't want the other Resistance fighters to give up hope. You should know that about me, Blaze. Robbing people of their hope is the last thing I wanna do, particularly if it's the only thing they've got. But…our kid, Tails and the Resistance need you to live. Not only for your flame powers, but also because you've got such an unbreakable spirit, just like me. Why do you think I was attracted to you in the first place?"

Blaze giggled and nodded, "Yeah, that's a good point. All right, I won't give up. Just promise me one thing, Sonic."

Sonic responded, gently touching her hand as if to lend her his strength, "Anything, babe. You know that at this point, I'd do anything for you. Well…as much as I can given that I'm just a ghost right now."

Blaze replied, "Promise me that you'll wait for me when you reach Heaven. I'll do right by our little girl and set a good example for the Resistance. It might be a little dangerous, but…I'm going to restart the uprising and make our first priority be taking Metropolis back."

Sonic's eyes went wide, but then he laughed and nodded, "There's the Blaze I know and love. Thank you, Blaze. It'll mean a lot to me if you can free the whole planet after two weeks…but given the Resistance's few numbers right now, I'll give it a month, if not more."

Blaze nodded, "And thank you for helping me believe in myself again. After losing you…I was really scared. I didn't think there was any hope left for us. But…as long as there's somebody to hold a candle to Eggman and challenge Infinite…there's still a chance."

Sonic nodded, "Exactly. Glad that we see eye to eye on some things. Anyway, now that your hope is restored, please wake up. You're scaring Tails and Nicole."

Blaze giggled in her dream, the storm clouds clearing and a grown-up version of Nova, or rather, Alexis Nova, now, appearing and telling her, "Thank you, Mom, for all the possibilities." She gasped when she woke up and looked at Tails and Nova, smiling. She nodded and greeted, "Hello Tails. Hello, Nova."

Sonic, relieved to see Blaze back among the living, told her, "Don't ever give us all a scare like that again, okay? I don't want to see you for a very long time, when everything's peaceful. Not that I don't WANT to see you, but it's not time yet. You know what I mean?"

Blaze nodded, "I know exactly what you mean, Sonic. Tails…what's so funny?"  
Tails explained, "Well…Sonic wants to put Alexis in your daughter's name. So that if she's rejected as the new queen or ruler of the Sol Dimension, she can at least have the fact that she's related to royalty included in that. Is that okay with you?"

Blaze smiled and giggled, "Of course it's okay with me. But I don't think they'll reject her as Queen. Particularly given that she's the daughter of Mobius' hero and myself. However, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I think that she's hungry." As the two had been speaking, the young infant had begun to cry, indicating her tiredness and hungriness.

The young noble giggled and took Alexis from Tails, beginning to feed her. Sonic smiled as he watched his lover and child, feeling an overwhelming sense of peace wash over him. As soon as this feeling came, a bright light broke forth and a voice told him, "Sonic, you have achieved the things you set out to do before proceeding to your life after death. Your wife and child are both safe, your friends have a renewed sense of hope, and peace is set to reign on Mobius. One of the Eggman power plants is shut down, which is a prelude to him being forever stopped in his reign of terror. So…you are free to come to Heaven whenever you are ready." After the voice finished speaking, Blaze and Alexis both dozed off.

Sonic told the voice, "That may be, but…what about Tails? I don't want to break his heart."

The voice replied, "He will be happier knowing you are with Me, then if he knew you weren't at peace. Trust me on this. He may hurt in the short term, but in the long term, he will feel relief. So, it is better that you go now."

Sonic sighed and replied, "Okay, I'll go. Can I at least say goodbye, including to Megaman?"

The voice told him, "Of course you may. You didn't think I'd make you leave without a proper goodbye, did you?"

Sonic chuckled and shrugged, "I didn't think so, but I wanted to make sure."

The voice gave a sarcastic, "Haha. Well, I will be waiting for you." It then went away.

Sonic appeared before Tails again and told him, "Well, little bro…looks like I'm all set to go to Heaven now. Apparently things are in such a good state here now, that…God feels good about taking me. Just promise me you'll be strong for the Resistance, okay?"

Tails sniffled, but nodded, "I promise, Sonic. I'll miss you, but I understand. You're at peace now and you trust me to take care of everything. Right?"

Sonic nodded, smiling in spite of the pain, "Right. Love you, little bro."

Tails smiled a little too and told him, "I love you too Sonic. Goodbye."

Sonic's soul departed for the afterlife, and while Tails did feel some pain at being separated from Sonic, over the next few months while Alexis was growing, he felt a tremendous sense of relief that Sonic wasn't conflicted anymore and stuck in limbo. While he enjoyed having Sonic to talk to, the fact that it was because he had unresolved issues had made the 20-something fox restless.


End file.
